Marry Me for Money (14 page)

Turning up the music, I pulled out my blow-dryer to straighten my hair. I hadn’t had a date in a long time, especially one with someone I really liked. As giddy as a little girl, butterflies fluttered in my stomach, and a smile was fixed on my face while I combed my hair.

Dancing around the bathroom in my robe, I pulled out my makeup bag from under the sink. I looked in the mirror and brushed on my foundation. After an unusually long makeup ritual, I tried on everything in my closet. I decided on a cute floral skirt, a tank top, and a cardigan. Summery and sweet, I looked down at my outfit, feeling content.

The phone rang, and I answered it to tell the doorman to let Brian up. I ran to the bathroom to check my makeup one last time before I heard a knock on the door. I took a deep breath and straightened out my skirt before I opened it.

“Hey, sexy,” he said, giving me his winning smile.

I blushed at his endearment. “Hey yourself.” I stepped aside to let him in.

He pulled a bouquet of roses from behind his back, and I flashed a cheeky grin.

“Thanks,” I said, grabbing the bouquet. “I’m going to put these in water, and then we can go.” I should have toned down my excitement but I couldn’t help it.

As I filled the vase, I gave him a once-over. The slew of butterflies fluttered in my stomach as my eyes took him in. Freshly shaved, he wore jeans and a blue button-up.

“Where are we going tonight?” I asked, suddenly analyzing if I was overdressed.

“I’m going to show you what Chicago is all about,” he replied.

I grabbed my purse and walked toward him. “Okay then, let’s get this party started.”

He didn’t hesitate to hold my hand while leading me out the door, and I let him.

The awning said
Café Iberico
. Latin music filled the air as the waitress recited the specials and put the menus on the table. I scanned the restaurant, bouncing my knees to the rhythm of the Latin beats. Tea lights covered the tables, contributing to the romantic ambience.

“I’ll order, if that’s okay? Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you are fully stuffed,” Brian said.

After he placed our order and the waitress took our menus away, a nervous silence built between us.

“What? Do I have something on my face?” I asked, suddenly self-conscious from the look he was giving me. “Why are you staring at me?”

“Did you put on extra makeup for our date tonight?” Brian asked, lifting his chin.

“No!” I said, feeling my cheeks warm. I didn’t want to make him think that I was trying too hard to impress him, even though I was. Maybe my thirty minute makeup session was a bit too much, when usually it only took me ten minutes to get ready.

He smiled at my discomfort, which made me laugh.

“Maybe,” I replied.

“Well, you don’t need anything extra. You’re beautiful just the way you are,” Brian said, leaning back against his chair to assess me.

“Whoa, that’s a line if I’ve ever heard one.”

“It’s not a line. It’s the truth. Baby, I’ve got lines, but I haven’t used one on you yet.”

I felt myself tighten as I became nervous from his charm. I looked toward the couple having dinner next to us and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

“So, Beth, tell me, what’s a nice girl like you doing without a boyfriend?”

“So upfront with the questions. This is definitely not cafeteria talk. I can ask you the same thing. Why no girlfriend? I’m sure it’s not because there aren’t any takers.”

“You first.” He leaned in, resting his elbows on the table.

“I had my first and only boyfriend in high school, but we grew apart. I-I mean, we wanted different things, so we broke up.”

He tapped his fingers lightly on his chin. “Sounds like you are a heartbreaker, Bethany Casse,” he remarked.

“Hardly. I’m totally not.” I paused, thinking of what had gotten me here. “He thought my life began and ended with him. My life began when I got that call from One Financial, telling me I’d gotten the job,” I said, my eyes lighting up.

I remembered that day so clearly. I’d screamed so hard from excitement that the neighbors heard.

“Where it ends, I don’t know. I just know I’m having fun since it began.” And I was. Since I’d moved to Chicago, everything was finally falling into place.

“And the night has only begun,” Brian said, smiling devilishly at me.

When dinner was over, I patted my stomach when Brian wasn’t looking.

“So, you ready to go?” he asked as he took the receipt and placed it in his wallet.

“Can we sit here for a second?” I totally hadn’t indulged like I usually would. I’d wanted to pace myself, and I hadn’t wanted to eat more than my date, making me think I was more nervous than I’d led myself to believe.

“So, now, it’s my turn. Did you think that just because the food came, I’d forget to grill you about your past love life?” Underneath the table, I rubbed my belly that was pushing against the elastic band of my skirt as I eyed the leftover steak on his plate. I should have foregone the sexy and worn a looser skirt.

“Well, okay then, shoot. What do you wanna know?” Brian asked, leaning back on his chair.

“So, why no girlfriend?” A little silent burp escaped my lips. I doubted he’d heard it because he continued to answer my question.

“I moved here two years ago from Wisconsin. Like you, I was busy and stuff. No time for a girlfriend.”

“Come on, busy with what? Work? If a man wanted to make time, he would,” I said.

“You’re right. I just didn’t want one. I had a long-term girlfriend in high school and a short-term girl in college. That was real short because she’d slept with my frat brother.”

My eyes widened at his revelation. “She cheated on you?” I leaned in, wanting more details and wondering why anyone in her right mind would turn away such long-term material.

“Yep, she played me like the player she was.” He laughed it off. “It’s fine. We were young. Plus, I did some playin’ in my day, too.”

“I’m shocked. That totally doesn’t sound like you.”

“You are only a cheater if you are in a serious relationship. I wasn’t,” Brian said. “I’m not
that
guy.” He smirked. “When I moved here, I didn’t have time. I worked a lot in the beginning. One Financial doesn’t mess around. Plus, I wasn’t looking for something serious.”

“Oh,” I said as my voice dropped.

“What?”

“Nothing,” I replied.

“Was not,” he pointed out. “Past tense. I wasn’t looking for something serious back then.”

His smile made my heart rate speed up, and I nervously played with the edge of my napkin.

“I haven’t been on a date like this in a while. If you haven’t noticed, I like you. I think I told you that already. You’re not like every other girl I’ve met down here. That’s probably because you’re not originally from here.” He laughed, but then his voice became serious. “You remind me of home, Beth. You’re funny and real.”

At his admission, I thought I saw him blush slightly, but he immediately shrugged it off and grabbed my hand.

“Come on. Let’s go to our next destination.”

We made our way down to Michigan Avenue. People bustled around us, but I didn’t care. It wasn’t the silence like home that made me fond of Chicago. It was the lights, tall buildings, and the cars whizzing by and honking their horns. It was the noise and everything opposite of my hometown that made me love Chicago.

As we walked, Brian talked about his family. I laughed at his stories as he held my hand. I could imagine every grade-school girl having a crush on this humorous blue-eyed, blond boy, who later turned into a high school star quarterback. I couldn’t hide my small sense of pride from him holding my hand when he had so many admirers at work.

“Sorry. Sometimes, I talk too much. How about you? Tell me about your family.”

I froze at his question. “Nothing to tell.” A nervous laugh escaped my lips.

“Come on,” he pressed, peering down at me. “I want to know more about Bowlesville and you. Tell me about your folks. Tell me about your childhood and high school.” He squeezed my hand as we walked. “Not fair. You know all about me.”

“Life in Bowlesville is not very exciting. Only child. Typical childhood. My father died a while back,” I said, glancing down at my shoes.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Brian said as we stopped at a crosswalk.

“No, it’s okay. It happened a long time ago.”

My dad was dead to me, given I didn’t know who my father was.

I’d told Brian the truth, my truth. I released my hand from his to pick up a can from the ground, and I tossed it into the garbage.

“How about your mom?”

“She’s back in Bowlesville. You know, doing the same thing she’s always done.”

I touched my half-ponytail nervously, speeding up to cross the street. I didn’t want to taint our perfect night with reliving my past, especially when everything he’d told me about his childhood had been straight from an episode of
Leave it to Beaver
. I finally relaxed when we were in front of my apartment. I didn’t want him asking me anything more about my past.

“So, what are you doing next weekend?” he asked. He lifted my chin to meet his eyes. “Actually, next weekend is too far away. What are you doing tomorrow?”

I suddenly felt shy as I peered up at him. “Are you trying to ask me on a second date?” I asked.

“Maybe,” Brian replied, lightly brushing my bangs away with his finger.

“Well, you’re not playing this game very well. First, you have to wait a couple of days before you call, making me wonder, and then you can ask me out. Hello? I know you’ve done this before,” I said teasingly.

“Why play games when I already know what I want?” he said, still smiling his boyish smile.

I blushed at his comment. I remembered I’d told Kent that I would have brunch with him. “Uh…well, I’m hanging out with Kent tomorrow afternoon, but tomorrow night, I’m free.”

“Kent? From Plack Industries?” His smile faltered. “So, you and Kent are just friends, right?”

“Yeah, we’re just friends,” I said, reassuring him. “Trust me, he’s not into monogamous relationships. He’s far from it. He sleeps with everyone who’s breathing.” I laughed.

“It’s strange though,” Brian shrugged, “for a guy to hang out with a girl as much as he does with you and not want more than friendship.”

“We’re just friends. Really!” I exclaimed.

He wasn’t convinced as he raised his eyebrows in question.

“I’ve seen him with other girls
—seen
him be with other girls.”

I made a face at the memory, and he laughed.

“That’s some kind of weird relationship you have there,” he said, amused at my discomfort.

“Oh no, I accidentally caught him. It’s not like he let me watch.” I shook my head as I felt my face flare up. “I don’t know why we are talking about this. Kent is a friend,” I said in finality. “Plus, I don’t know many people here in Chicago, and I like hanging out with him.” I started to sound defensive, and I was sure he could see that I was getting frustrated.

He lifted my chin to face him, meeting my eyes. “I believe you. Only friends. That’s the end of that conversation.”

“Okay,” I said softly. I turned and made my way toward my door.

“Hey, I’m sorry. I believe you’re just friends,” Brian said, tugging on my arm.

“No, it’s not that. I have to get up early on Sunday for brunch.”

“Okay. Well, uh…I had a great time tonight, Beth.”

It was that awkward moment after the first date—when I didn’t know if we should kiss or not. It wasn’t like we hadn’t kissed before. If anything, his tongue had definitely been shoved down my throat on that bar’s dance floor. This was a formal date though, and it felt different.

We looked at each other, and in that nanosecond, I wondered who would make the first move.

Overthinking this made me smile and then laugh. I tiptoed and pecked him on the lips. I’d had the perfect date, and he deserved a first-date kiss. I felt his smile on my lips before I pulled away.

“Beth, girls don’t usually make me nervous, but you do.” He pulled at my waist, bringing me closer toward him. Looking down at me, he placed his lips lightly on mine.

His lips moved against mine, slow and deliberate. He tasted of wholesome, good-boy sweetness. It wasn’t the drunken sloppy kiss that had happened at the bar. When he finally pulled away, I was breathless, and it looked like he was, too, which gave me pure satisfaction.